Back when I was duck hunting with my Browning light twelve 1951 model, I was cleaning it after five hunts if I actually killed any ducks. As for the .410 single shot I was using to hunt rabbits with, after the season. Not much help for you.

 

If It does not get wet I just wipe it down with a rag. May clean the bore every 750 shots or so but I do wipe the burnt powder off the bolt when I wipe it down.

 

I got into the habit of cleaning and oiling my guns after every use. My father being in the Marine Corp used to do this when we went to the range. I got into the habit of cleaning them at the range after shooting while talking with other gun club members while we all cleaned our guns at the end of the day. Then just wipe down and put back in the safe when I got home.

 

....after every shot. Every time. I, like Cowboy 23, was schooled at a very young age to shoot by two sergeant majors from British Regiments. One from the Royal Artillery and the other from the Royal Inniskillings. I guess some folk don't care about their equipment.

 

I've always cleaned my guns after every shooting session, and every hunt. If I were at camp, my rifle/rifles were cleaned when I returned home. If it's good enough for the bench rest shooters, it's good enough for me.

That includes my handguns and my shotguns.

I always wanted to keep that mirror finish inside my shotgun tubes, especially after having one or two older ones that were dulled and had minor pitting, so I cleaned after every outing. I couldn't stand the peppering of burned propellant or the plastic streaks left by the wads. Was any of this detrimental to accuracy? Probably not.

It was a big surprise to me, then, when I took a professional level handgun course, and learned that the instructors only cleaned their own weapons every several thousand rounds. These were nearly all Glocks and S&W M&Ps. These were the instructors' carry, competition, and class instruction weapons. Most had sent tens of thousands of rounds down range.

These guys were confident of their weapons' reliability. They were lightly lubed about once a week or so, (I won't speculate on the lubrication of the instructors themselves, but I digress...) and they were much less often cleaned. The criterion for cleaning seemed to be their hands getting too dirty while shooting. They seemed to think that as long as lubrication was appropriate, they weren't concerned about cleaning.

Regardless, I still clean mine after every session.... I actually enjoy cleaning.

 

I like to run a bore brush and some oil down the barrel after every shooting. The bolt and receiver parts don’t need it every time but I at least run a toothbrush over the bolt face every once in a while

 

I agree with HIKayaker. I was the lead gun buyer for one of the largest firearms retailers in the West. I handled literally thousands of firearms in that capacity and saw far more damaged from overzealous cleaning than I did from use.

 

I clean it if I use it. most of the time a few passes with the bore snake and a wipe down.

 

During duck and pheasant season after each day in the blind/field, I'd spray some WD-40 down each bore followed with a piece of [rag and] rod and put it on the rack. Proper cleaning with solvent, brushes and patches happened when the season was over.

Range shooting, I properly clean after every outing.

 

I'll blame my parents for my obsessive compulsive cleaning habit... I had it hammered into me from a very young age, if you want something to last, take care of it. Also, if you borrow something return it in better condition and when you got it.

All my firearms were borrowed until I could start buying my own in my 20s. I would zealously clean all firearms until one of the lenders pointed out the damage I was doing by over cleaning. As well as, the fact that somewhat dirty barrels can be more precise shooters. It is still very hard for me to not scrub and polish everything clean.

For shotguns, I clean after every shooting session because I can justify fouling doesn't help with accuracy and brass or aluminum cleaning rods don't do much damage to a shotgun.

 

Most of the time I just drag a bore snake through barrel 3-4 times, at least every 10 or so rounds at the range for my rifles, and may use the harsh stuff after a hundred or so rounds. When I was shotgunning pretty often, particularly dove hunting, I'd drag the bore snake through the tube after a shooting session. Either rifle or shotgun gets a basic wiping, and maybe a drop or two of oil on the action parts when they need it.

Since I shoot mostly lead in the lever guns, it's a whole different type of cleaning for me. If I have plans to shoot jacketed bullets (which is pretty seldom), I scrub the bore as much as I can both before and after shooting jacketed. I don't like copper fouling. At least copper fouling isn't an issue with the shotguns

jd

 

I was taught gun care by shooters that came from the corrosive primer era so I was taught to clean my firearms every time they were fired. Even one round got an oiled patch down the bore and a wipe down to get the GSR off them.
Since the advent of staynless primers (especially in surplus military ammo) cleaning with Hoppe's or other solvents wasn't as important as getting the burnt powder and copper out of the bore.
Nowdays, I also drag each one out of the safe every 3 months or so and wax them with Johnson's paste wax. Makes a world of difference how well the blue and wood stands up to being in the safe untouched for years sometimes.

 

Only rifles I am not too concerned about are some of my military weapons that have a chrome plated chamber and bore. Like the SKS or AK 47 or Mil Spec AR Car. The chrome plated guns can handle a lot of abuse and they will not rust but most of my other rifles carry match high end barrels so I clean and oil them.

 

I clean and oil after every shooting session. Oil keeps the dirt and grit in suspension, so moving parts wear less, and it deters rust and corrosion.

 

How one is taught from the get go seems to be the guide. Uncle Sam taught me well.
I have no problem cleaning my weapon after any use.

 

Clean after each outing or session. Mostly bore snake until particulate free and oil coating on exterior and a few drops of oil here and there on the internals. Ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure.

 

Ive seen more guns ruined by neglect.

 

I have been shooting and cleaning guns for over 40 years. I have a collectible .357 revolver that I’ve had for 39 years. I have shot that thing until the cylinder needed the end shake fixed by S&W. It’s like new now with no damage whatsoever from 39 years of careful cleaning after every session.

A firearm should never be damaged by cleaning it. If that happens something wrong is being done.

 

Interesting replies. Like most here, I would always clean a rifle or handgun as soon as possible after use. Shotguns, I am not so fussy.

 

Every time, how depends on how much use. From a bore snake to a full brush and scrub. The 336 30-30 got the forrest bore foam after a good clean, my with the rifle stood on end muzzle on a tissue in a dish the tissue had a large blue stain on it ? Clean rifles with a bore guide always. As has been said clean with care, its not that hard, Gar.

 

I've seen firearms ruined by both lack of cleaning and lubrication as well as IMPROPER cleaning and no lubrication. A firearm that is cleaned properly will show no wear or damage and its useful life will probably extend to several generations if it is a quality firearm to begin with.

Call me anal retentive, but after two careers under arms with service in city alleys, deserts, jungles, mountains and swamps, as well as military rifle teams and police pistol teams and a lifetime of hunting, I'm a firm believer in a clean weapon.

Back to the OP's original question about shotgun cleaning... My antique Parker DHE after two days and two limits of pheasants this weekend, is spotless and back in the safe ready for next weekend. Just got to love a good shotgun!

 

Call me anal retentive, but after two careers under arms with service in city alleys, deserts, jungles, mountains and swamps, as well as military rifle teams and police pistol teams and a lifetime of hunting, I'm a firm believer in a clean weapon.

I hear that. A dirty gun can get you killed.

 

Hunting shotguns, usually many bits of bark, twigs, dirt and brush in the action parts, are the deciding issue for a break down clean, long before any powder accumulation issues. Shot clays with a SxS, clean it about once a year. All of them get the outer metal wiped down after each use.

 

Yes--improper cleaning will ruin the muzzle of a barrel. You see this kind of damage on vintage M1 Garand rifles because of the sectioned screw together steel rod given to the GI's to use. Also, do not use a stainless steel bore brush on your barrel. I use a one piece coated cleaning rod and a bore guide if possible. If you make sure that the rod is going in straight and perpendicular to the bore you will be okay.

 

I clean after each shooting session. I enjoy cleaning, and it helps me stay familiar as I don't shoot as often as I would like.

 

Back when I shot Competitive Trap almost every wknd, I cleaned beginning of every month, usually after 400 - 500 rounds.
Same thing for Cowboy Shooting. Of course if I shot Black Powder, I gave a quick spritz to all guns and a complete teardown and clean as soon as I got home.

 

AS much as a weapon costs it is too easy and cheap to properly care for, clean and lube, after every shooting session or after a trip int the field.
Want to devalue a weapon? Put it away dirty.